Cirsium eriophorum
Wooly Thistle
a biennial member of the Cirsium genus in the family Compositae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Compositae
- Genus
- Cirsium
- Life cycle
- biennial
- Height
- 1.5 m
- Fertility
- self fertile
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera, Beetles, Self
Uses
Edible uses
Young leaves - raw[8][5]. Young stems - raw or cooked. An asparagus or rhubarb substitute[8][2][5]. The stems are peeled and soaked in water to remove the bitterness, they are then said to be excellent eating[8][5]. Flower buds - cooked. A globe artichoke substitute[6][4][5] but much smaller and even more fiddly.
- Plant part
- Flowers
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Plant part
- Stem
Material uses
The seed fluff is used as a tinder[1]. The seed of all species of thistles yields a good oil by expression[8]. No details of potential yields etc are given[K].
- Product or use
- Oil
- Product or use
- Tinder
Environment
- Range
- Central Europe, from Britain, France and Holland to the Balkans and Upper Volga
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 6+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 8 weeks at 20°c.
Cultivation
An easily grown plant, succeeding in any ordinary garden soil in a sunny position[7].
References
Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9